Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-04-01
MOpSNL,S MA.yrNR- N7ROKN

=. -. Nhtthttit td -tpfu ~. NNHOfNN
HOISEL'.S MASTER STROKE.
Around the big, green shoulder Of the
hill, along the dusty white road, and over
the Neckar bridge with its broken-nosed
statues, Nettchen and Mopsel trudged into
Heidelberg with their cans Of milk in "A
cart Nettchen is a wrinkled old woman
with a faded blue cotton petticoat, tucked
well up to allow easier swing to the lank
old legs which must measure many a mile
before sunset. Little cares Nettchen if all
the world see that one of her stockings is
yellow with dingy blue foot the other
streaky, uncertain brown, very much the
color of Mopsel's coat.
Mopsel is dog, very scrubby, unkempt
dog, with apparently no good points at all
as he plods forward for his eyes are shut
TO keep out the dust, and no one can see
how soft, and brown, and bright they are {:
nor can one look through into his honest
dogs heart, worthy of all human respect,
for he does his work cheerfully, faithfully,
ana well as he can each day and the
best of us do no more. His duty is to help
Nett,hen drag the milk and to keep
guard over the cans, while she ascends ma
ny weary staircases with measures Of milk
There is a suggestion of close economy
about Mopsel he is thin, his hair is sparse
and patchy, his canvas harness is mended
with odd bits of rope, his legs seem worn
short with much use--even his tail has
been cut off twu-thirds of its length, his
frugal mistress probably thinking that the
stump needed less feeding than the whole
tail
A fair is being held in the market place
and any one interested in bright-colored
handkerchiefs, blue and gray earthern Jugs
ginger bread inlaid with rancid almonds,
baskets. toys and carpet slippers, may find
them here in astonishing quantities They
are hung on lines, heaped on counters made
of packing boxes and spread conhdingly
upon the cobble-stones, up to the very door
of the gray old Frauenkirche Nettchen
leaves Mopsel in charge of the milk cans
in safe place near the pump, and goes
across the platz to ask the price of gray
| yarn this year, and to hear the latest Cos
| sip from kreulbrunnen. where She was
| born.
Boscu, a student dog. sauntered over to
take drink at the pump, while his master,
with half dozen other fellows in tiny.
round blue velvet caps, embroidered with
silver, sat smoking and playing Sixtv-five
in a cafe hard by Bosco and Mospel have
often met before, and usual they began
a friendly chat.
No one heard nor noticed them, but may
not dogs and all intelligent animals talk to-
| gether in a manner of their own, with a
satisfaction equal TO that of Nettchen and
the woman from Kreuzhrunnen, gossiping
in the wood-booth
Very hot isn't it = began Mopsel
do YOU think so 1t seemed to me quite
fresh, but haven't been exercising as YOU
| have
What an easy life yours is, Bosco You
are not obliged to lift paw for any kind
of work, and I'm sure, from your glossy
coat that you must get meat very often
every day, perhaps
"Oh, dear, yes Twice day but Fus-
sells meat has been very tough and bad of
late-the rascal -
II have two humps of black bread a day,
one in the morning, the other at night.
| Not big Jumps mt all, either | could eat
much more, but the Tabberts, my people,
are very poor They do as well as they
can by me. On Sunday they give me a
little sour milk and potato broth. That S
beautiful collar you wear, BOsco is it
| real silver =
No; it's horrid thing, nothing but i'm
| itatiun 1t comes off green on my neck
and has horrid, brassy smell. hope to
/
| young Herr Baron, my master, spends so
much money ON flowers for a young lady in
the Hotel de lEurope that he has nothing
| left for me-
| See how the hair is worn off my neck
and breast by my harness the cart is very
heavy when the cans are full. | pull as
hard as ! can to spare Nettchen, for she
has bad cough, and is getting old and
weak, poor thing I'm not as young as
once was, either. I'm too tired and foot
sore at night to chase a cat, even. If the
street boys would leave me in peace when
Nettchen is away, it would not seem half
So hard but they jump at me and throw
stones at the cans, and poke sticks at Inc
the towards know that my teeth are most
| ly gone, and that | am tied fast, The Tab
| berts' fortune would be made if they could
| buy donkey to take the neighbors' veget-
ahles to market as well as our milk. 1t
would be a great relief to Nettchen and
me-we would still go with the cart, to
| guard it, and she to sell the milk, but we
would not have to work so hard. Oh, it is
cruel that that donkey is only bright
| dream The Tabberts can never save
enough 10 buy one. I've often seen you
driving in a carriage all by yourself, Bosco,
with the Herr Baron sitting beside the
| cOachman"
Don't mention those horrid drives, Mop
sci, beg of you 1t is all done to make
us look ridiculous You have no idea of
| the humihations we student dogs are made
| to suffer at the castle, on the promenade
and wherever there are any foreign ladies
| to laugh at us | have had to follow my
master dozen times up and down the An
lage with little red balloons tied to my tail
| and collar. Poor Caper, one of the White
cap dogs, was at the castle yesterday with
baby's silver rattle and bells tied to his
tail he held it up stihiy and tried to look
unconscious, but | knew how he suffered.
| You say you envy us our ease you
wouldn'tif you knew how bored we are We
sometimes try TO get up little excitement
in the way of fight with an opposition
corps, but it is poor fun when we are all
muzzled. Jelly, green-cap dog, is actu-
! ally forced to drink beer, He is a poodle
| with ragged, twisted tails hair all over him,
and foolish, weak creature, or he would
never have given in about the beer. We
big Danish hounds need a great deal of ex-
ercise to keep us in health and spirits we
ought to be racing over the mountains, and
running miles along the roads, instead of
lolling about at the castle concerts with
| bouquets in our collars. We are Il pure
blooded lot of fellows, as you can see by
our pinkish gray coats with pale black
| spots, heavy tails, and a careless way we
have of finging our legs about, as if we
were trying TO shake them off. By the way,
what-ahem race do you belong TO, Mop
sci = Bosco took shy glance at his friends
ragged coat and squat legs.
81 never heard that came of any race.
| I'm the Tabberts' milk cart dog, that's all
| know of my history"
you're far happier for being of humble
origin, We Danes are all the rage now /;
/ il is a great misfortune for dog to be fash
iOnable if he is big it does very well for
| pugs. wobby-footed Dachshunds and the
| like-they can wear ribbons and flowers
without looking silly, but such follies do not
suit us
"What you say surprises mel thought
| you were the happiest set of fellows who
ever chased IA rat. On some accounts | be
lieve | wouldn't change places with YOU
said Mopsel, swapping at an intrusive pig
| con.
"Nou would gain very little 10y the
change | assure you. Fancy the weali-
ness of being tugged TO and fro by u string
at the castle concerts and lying under the
beer-table listening to that stupid music for
hours together. They are never done prais-
ing the old place, calling it a magnificent
ruin, medieval triumph and all such non
sense. don't believe there is even mole
TO he found in the whole musty old pile. h"
II have often looked up at the Schloss,
but Nettchen and have never been there
Poor work day Nettchen sixty odd
years in sight Of the remnant Of Ileidel-
berg'a grandeur, history written in rosy